Abstract
We extend classical force-on-force combat models to study the attrition dynamics of three-way and multilateral war. We introduce a new multilateral combat model (the multiduel) which generalizes the Lanchester models, and solve it under an objective function which values one's own surviving force minus that of one's enemies. The outcome is stark: either one side is strong enough to destroy all the others combined, or all sides are locked in a stalemate which results in collective mutual annihilation. The situation in Syria fits this paradigm.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 950-956 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Operations Research |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 23 Jul 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Aug 2018 |
Bibliographical note
This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.Keywords
- Lanchester model
- Multiplayer nonzero-sum game
